Cadwell
1st, 2nd and 3rd for GAC in podium lockout
Galpin wins, Hands is second and Farmer third in wet/dry thriller at the "mini- nurburgring
Sunday morning brought sharp showers and a wet track to the drivers as they left the assembly area for qualifying. The daunting Cadwell Park circuit proving particularly treacherous with the combination of oil from the previous day and rain making setting a fast time a challenge of the highest order.
James Birch took pole in his Scarab, from acknowledged wet weather specialist Ian Buxton and Martins Farmer and Galpin making up the second row. Daniel Hands lined up fifth. Ben Evans was next up in his Scarab with Jamie Conyers seventh in the second works GAC. Returning after a year out Paul Smith made it six out of the top ten starters in his privately run GAC 02.
At the lights Birch led away briefly as a train of GACs, Buxton, Farmer, Galpin and Hands all took the outside at Coppice line astern and swiftly demoted him to fifth after the following corner. Reigning champion Sam Oliveira in his Jenvey-Sheane was already making up ground in sixth. Down into Mansfield for the first time Galpin and Farmer swapped places so at the end of the first lap it was Buxton, Galpin, Farmer, Hands from James Birch and Oliveira sixth.
Galpin and Buxton continued to battle at the front on the second lap whilst Danny Hands took over third from Martin Farmer at Mansfield, all the time pulling clear of the fifth and sixth place cars. Going into Coppice to start the third lap Galpin drove around the outside of Buxton to claim the inside line for Charlies and the lead. Across the line to start lap four it was Martin Galpin who'd pulled out a large lead from Buxton, Hands, Farmer, Oliveira in fifth and Jamie Conyers moving past Birch to take sixth.
Hands moved into second at Coppice at the start of lap five and started to chase down Galpin who was already nearly five seconds clear of the field, Danny setting fastest lap of the race in the process. Galpin meanwhile started the job of lapping back-markers whilst Hands pulled clear of Buxton, Farmer, Birch, Conyers and Oliveira all battling behind. Just ten minutes into the race and Oliveira got past both Birch and Farmer into fourth but there was to be one last twist in the tail of this dramatic race.
It started raining. Not just a little but a downpour. In seconds the track was completely soaked out at the back and seriously wet coming up the Mountain section. As Galpin slithered past five and a half seconds ahead of Hands, Oliveira became the first victim sliding off at the bottom of the Mountain and slipping back to sixth. Farmer then picked off Buxton for third at Coppice but Buxton then ran into the back of him at Park and spun down the order.
The chequered flag came out not a moment too soon as Martin Galpin crossed the line to win his second race of the year followed by Danny Hands seven seconds behind and Martin Farmer in a great third place for the first all GAC podium of the year. Jamie Conyers continued his superb recent form with another sixth place finish to complete a great weekend for the team.
Looking forward to Snetterton on the weekend of July 14/15th Martin Farmer continues to lead the championship with 119 points from Daniel Hands on 116.